On November 11, 2025, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (“NUPRC” or the “Commission”) announced that Nigeria’s 2025 Licensing Round will commence on December 1, 2025. The announcement was made by the Commission’s Chief Executive, Engineer Gbenga Komolafe, at the 1MMBOPD Additional Production Investment Forum in London. The licensing round focuses on discovered but undeveloped fields, fallow assets, and natural gas development. Its primary objective is to fast-track upstream production from unexploited reserves, while simultaneously stimulating the midstream capacity required for evacuation, storage, and early production handling, in support of the government’s target of adding an additional One Million Barrels of Oil Per Day (1MMBOPD) to national production capacity.
In this newsletter, we highlight the policy and regulatory framework governing licensing rounds in Nigeria, the eligibility requirements for participation in this bidding round, and key timelines in the bidding process.
President Tinubu approves Commencement of Licensing Round effective December 1, 2025. https://www.nuprc.gov.ng/president-tinubu-approves-commencement-of-licensing-round-effective-december-1-2025/ [accessed 24th November 2025]
FG unveils plan to boost oil production by 1m barrels per day in 24 months. https://businessday.ng/news/article/fg-unveils-plan-to-boost-oil-production-by-1m-barrels-per-day-in-24-months/?utm_source [accessed 24th November 2025]
